Never Again
by WickedgreenPhantom
Summary: Every year Jack and Kristoff swear that it will be the last time they get up early in order to beat the crowds to the annual Christmas pageant. Every year they swear that they won't deal with the pushy crowds again. Every year they fail to keep their promise.


At 5am on a Saturday morning in early November, Jack should have been curled up in bed. He should have been enjoying a long, luxurious sleep-in with his arm draped over Elsa's sleeping body, but he wasn't.

Instead, he had found himself sitting on a picnic blanket in downtown Arendelle with a thermos of coffee nestled in his hand. His eyes had glanced over at Kristoff just in time to see the brawny male let out a loud yawn before stretching his legs out in front of him. Pulling out a spare travel mug, Jack had poured a coffee and handed it to Kristoff who had nodded appreciatively.

Few words had been said between the two men. Both of them were tired and would have rather been asleep in their own beds. Looking around, Jack had noticed that they were not the only ones who had arrived early. In fact, quite a few people appeared to have shared the same idea and had headed into the city early in order to secure a good spot. Each of them had arrived armed with blankets, chairs and things to keep them occupied for the next four hours.

Slowly, the city had sprung to life. The last of the night-time revellers had disappeared and street cleaners had been out to tidy up. The seedy remnants of alcohol-fuelled fun had been swept away to make way for a more family-friendly looking city.

By the time it hit 8am the empty spaces had been no more and the sidewalk was packed full with families. Children had been abuzz with a happy energy and had spilled out onto the road, which had been cordoned off from vehicles in order to play.

Jack's energy had soared while watching the children run around playing tag or drawing on the road with chalk. Even the police had been in good spirits and they had ridden slowly down the street on motorbikes and stopped to chat with families. He'd chuckled when he had watched one police officer get down on his knees to allow a small boy, no older than four, to 'arrest him'. The officer had grinned and placed his hat on the child's head before beaming while the proud mum snapped a photo of her son with him.

By 9am the girls had arrived. They had travelled by train into the city. Jack had stifled a yawn while Elsa gracefully sat herself by his side. She had nestled into his arms before handing him a fresh cup of coffee and a chocolate croissant. He had opened his mouth to say something, when the sound of Kristoff's loud grumble filled the silence.

Turning to look at Kristoff, he had been unable to contain his grin. The tired father-of-one had been doing his best to appear annoyed at the Santa Claus hat that had been shoved onto his head. However, the man's facade had been ruined by the twinkle in his eyes when his 3-year-old daughter, Lily, bounced on his lap. The young girl had been clearly delighted by her father's appearance.

Jack had opened his mouth to tease Kristoff. He had the perfect insult sitting on the tip of his tongue when he had felt the sudden appearance of a hat on his head. Frowning, he had turned to find himself face to face with a smirking Anna. Swallowing his pride, he had shot Kristoff a look of understanding. The kind of look that said 'I feel your pain.' Their wives had then pulled out their cameras and had asked a passer-by to capture the moment. Together, Jack and Kristoff had managed to get revenge by poking their tongues out at the last moment before sitting and posing for a serious photo.

The sound of music had filled the air as members of the state police made their way down the road on horseback. The children in the crowd let out loud oohs and aahs while they watched the majestic animals move slowly down the road to herald the start of the annual Christmas pageant.

Jack had moved onto the fold up chair and pulled Elsa to sit on his lap before he'd wrapped his arms tightly around her. Together, they had watch their niece shriek in happiness at the colourful floats passing her by. A woman dressed as the tooth fairy had come to a halt in front of Lily, who had gazed at her in awe. Playfully, the woman chided Lily for eating chocolate before she exclaimed that she would 'let this one slide'.

"Pretty!" exclaimed Lily while her hands reached to point at the woman's colourful costume.

Anna had pulled her her camera out and quickly snapped a picture while Lily gave the 'tooth fairy' a big hug. The 'tooth fairy' had then reached down to ruffle Lily's hair before continuing on her way.

As the pageant continued, the look of wonder on Lily's small face had never faded. She'd waved joyfully while the floats passed by and had insisted on hugging each and every pageant participant who approached her. Jack had managed to capture a video of Lily jumping up and down gleefully while showing a man in a rabbit costume how to hop.

After a while, the man they had been waiting for had arrived. Perched atop a magnificent sled with fake reindeer had been Santa Claus. Lily had been over excited and giggled loudly while waving her small arms. Her eyes widened in delight when the jolly man appeared to look right at her before waving in her direction.

Jack had let out a wave and made a mental note to thank Nick later.

"I think you'd win major brownie points if Lily knew that her Uncle Jack is friends with Santa?" whispered Elsa as her lips grazed Jack's ear.

Turning his head, Jack had given her a quick peck on the lips. After all, it was just good luck that Jack and Nick happened to have been childhood friends. Naturally, Jack could never tell a soul. Least of all Lily. Although, he wasn't against requesting a special wave go out to his young niece.

Finally, the pageant had passed and the adults quickly jumped to their feet. Anna gently placed her daughter back into her stroller while Kristoff, Elsa and Jack set about packing up their chairs and picnic blanket.

The crowd had been thick. Families from all over the city and state had slowly merged with the rest of the shoppers in the heart of the city. Together, their small family joined the throng of people as they made their way to the car. Despite only being a short distance from their park, the walk seemed to take longer due to the amount of people. Jack had shook his head in disbelief when an impatient family knocked into him as they brushed past. The impact from the knock had caused the chair he was carrying to dig into his hip, but the rude family didn't even bother to spare him a second glance.

"You okay?" Elsa asked as she took the fold out chair from him.

He nodded. Snaking an arm out, he'd pulled her close to his side in order to prevent her from suffering the same fate. Up ahead, he had seen other families shaking their heads. It appeared that the pushy family had left a trail of annoyed people in their haste.

After a frustratingly long time, they had finally made it to Kristoff's large SUV. Anna strapped Lily into her carseat while Jack and Elsa took their seats beside the small girl in the back.

Kristoff had grumbled as he tapped away at the steering wheel. It had been bumper to bumper in the parking lot as people tried to leave the city. Navigating the car onto the road, they'd moved at a snails pace while more and more traffic merged onto the road from the various parking lots.

Jack had felt a weight on his shoulder. He'd raised his eyebrows upon catching sight of Elsa as she fell asleep with her hair tickling his chin. He had half a mind to wake her and remind her that she at least got to sleep in until 7am while he had been awake since 3am. However, he'd looked at her and his eyes softened. She'd looked so endearing as her chest rose and fell with her slowed breathing.

Instead, he had settled for softly resting his head on hers and closing his eyes. He'd stifled a laugh when he heard Kristoff grumble good naturedly while Anna and Lily talked animatedly. The youngster may have been born withher father's blonde hair, but the energy and lust for life was all Anna.

Finally, they'd arrived home. Jack had gently turned to wake Elsa who'd leant against him and yawned while they'd said farewell to Anna and Kristoff.

A few hours later and Jack had curled up on the couch with Elsa. A small bruise had appeared on his hip from the impact of the bump.

"Remind me to never agree to do that again," he'd moaned, watching as Elsa applied a soft kiss to the bruise.

Her eyes had met his and a knowing smile appeared on her face. "Anna sent me a text. Apparently Kristoff said the same thing," she murmured.

* * *

A year had passed. Once again Kristoff and Jack found themselves camped out on the sidewalk of downtown Arendelle at 5am. This time they had made sure to pack double the amount of coffee.

Kristoff had fallen fast asleep and was snoring loudly while his head drooped lazily on his shoulder. Jack snapped a photo before uploading it to Facebook and made sure to tag the tired man. He'd considered making a joke about how Kristoff could sleep through the noise of a street sweeper as it drove past slowly, but paused when he remembered that Kristoff is married to Anna and the father of Lily and their two month-old daughter, Roxanne. Instead, he'd chortled to himself. Compared to life in the Bjorgman home, the early morning city noises must have been positively quiet.

Finally, 9am had rolled around and Elsa, Anna and the girls arrived. Jack stood up from his chair and had gently assisted Elsa into the seat. Lily wasted no time in climbing onto her father's lap. Jack had flinched as he watched Lily's knee dig into a delicate area while Kristoff winced in pain. His young daughter, however, remained oblivious to her beloved father's pain while she settled into a comfortable position.

Leaning over, Jack had gently placed a kiss on Elsa's stomach. "Promise me that you'll take after your graceful mother," he'd murmured to the small 16-week-old bump.

He'd shifted his attention to the road ahead while he waited for the pageant to begin. His comfort had been disrupted when his 4-year-old niece plonked herself down on his lap. He'd let out a small groan when she wriggled into a comfortable position. A loud laugh rung in his ear. Turning his head, he'd noticed Kristoff holding up his phone with the photo Jack had snapped earlier on display.

"Payback's a witch, Frost," Kristoff smirked.

The sound of the pageant starting caused Lily to jump up and down excitedly on Jack's lap. He groaned from the impact, however, the pain was soon forgotten when he saw the joy on his niece's face. She soon forgot about her uncle and leapt from her seat to sit beside her sister. As the older sister, Lily had decided that she was in charge of ensuring that her baby sister paid attention to the pageant.

The end of the pageant had soon drew to a close. This time the family were wiser. As soon as Santa's sleigh had come into sight they'd stood up. The adults worked to pack their blankets and chairs away and strap Roxanne into her pram. Kristoff had pulled Lily to rest securely in his arms. They'd waited for Santa to have passed before they leapt into motion. It wasn't a lot, but their small forward-planning gave them a minor head start on the journey back to the parking lot.

Once again the crowds had merged with Christmas shoppers. Jack had felt himself becoming protective over his growing family. His eyes had glanced at his pregnant wife. Instinctively, he'd pulled her close to him. One hand wrapped around her waist while the other rested over her small baby bump. His eyes were fixed in a hard gaze as he stared ahead. He was a man determined to protect his wife and their unborn baby from danger.

To his left, he'd noticed that Kristoff had pulled Anna close to him and had one arm draped around her waist while she pushed Roxanne's pram. The other hand firmly held onto Lily who'd sat perched on his hip.

Jack had felt his body relax only when they'd made it back to their car. At least they had managed to escape without being bumped by pushy people. He'd waited patiently while Elsa and Anna secured Lily and Roxanne into their car seats before he had climbed in

Later that evening, Jack had laid curled up against the headboard of their bed with Elsa nestled between his legs. His fingers had idly traced through her long hair while she read a chapter of her book.

"That was the last time we're going through this pain," he'd yawned and placed a kiss on her shoulder.

Elsa's body had shook and she'd let out a dismissive laugh. "I don't believe you," she'd said.

Lifting his head up, he'd looked at her. "Why's that?" he'd asked. "It's a long day, especially for Kristoff and I. It's crowded. Traffic is a mess getting out of the city and there is always that one family who are rude, arrogant and pushy."

"The kids love it. You know as well as I do that it's worth it to see the look on our nieces' faces. Next year it will be even more worth it because we'll have our own baby," Elsa had pointed out and gently kissed his lips before shifting position to lie down.

* * *

One year had passed. Elsa smiled as she snapped a photo. After a long day, both of her boys had fallen asleep on the couch. Jack's arms were wrapped tightly around their 7-month-old son Lucas.

Leaning down, she had gently pried Jack's hands off Lucas and had pulled the infant into her arms. She'd cradled him to her chest before carrying him to the nursery. She'd placed a kiss to his forehead before laying him down in his cot. She'd paused slightly to look at the small child while he slept. He may only be young, but he already bore a strong resemblance to his father.

Stepping back, her eyes had glanced at the chest of drawers where their newest family photo sat. A picture of her, Jack and Lucas with Santa Claus which had been taken earlier in the day. She had wanted to leave the city immediately after the pageant, like they did every year, but Jack had argued against it. He had insisted that they should celebrate Lucas' first Christmas by getting their photo taken with the 'big man'.

"It's slightly ironic, isn't it," Jack's voice had spoken while his arms snaked around her waist.

Turning her head, she'd looked at him and had reached her hand to brush through his silver-white hair.

"I mean, we waited in line for 45 minutes and paid good money to have a photo taken with my friend Nick," he'd continued and gestured to the photo. "Still, when it comes to playing Santa, Nick's the best and Lucas deserves the best. I just hope that the little man appreciates the effort we went through. I mean, the crowd alone is enough of a deterrent, but having to stay longer to pay for someone dressed as an elf to take our photo with our friend…"

She'd chuckled softly before tilting her head to silence him with a kiss. Breaking the kiss, she'd looked at him. "You complain about the pageant and the crowds every year. Yet I know for a fact that we will go next year," she'd pointed out, before reaching up for another kiss.

"Never again, Elsa," Jack had protested between kisses.

Smirking, she'd turned to face him. Her eyes had caught the smile on his face and she'd sighed. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she'd pulled him close. "You lie, Jack. You know as well as I do that this time next year you'll be saying the exact same thing," she countered. "Besides, it's all about the kids anyway.

She'd heard Jack let out a sigh while his eyes flicked towards their sleeping son before they'd focused on her once again. "You know that I hate it when you call my bluff, right?" he quipped.

Biting her lip, she stepped out of his grasp and pulled him towards the door. "You know that I love you," she'd replied.

An hour later and Elsa is curled up in their bed with Jack's arms around her. His hands softly trace the contours of her body while her hands caress his face. They are fighting sleep. Both of them are tired, but since having their son their private moments are scarce and so they try to make the most of them when they can.

"Next year I'm taking an extra thermos of coffee," Jack piped up. "Bloody Kristoff drank most of it today," he explained before falling to lie on his back.

Smirking, she realised that he had just admitted to planning for the next year. She contemplated calling him out on it, but decided against it. Instead, she wriggled closer to him to rest her head on his chest. Once again they have survived another hectic and thrilling pageant day. Still, this day had been her favourite one yet because it marked their first one with their beloved son. Now, they simply needed to wait a year for the next one.

* * *

**A/N- For this story, I've set it in Southern hemisphere, where it is Spring in November and starting to get warm. The Christmas Pageant, and the idea of people getting up super early to secure a spot is all based off of my own experiences with my state's Christmas Pageant. **

**This little fluff goes out to the lovely Rokusan23 who mentioned recently that she frequently sees her name used as a 'nasty' character. Hence I named one of the Kristanna daughters after her :)**


End file.
